The
Montreal Mirror's "Best of Montreal: Readers Poll 2005"
placed Greg Clayton amongst the Top 10 of Montreal's best jazz
musicians category which include such luminaries as Oscar Peterson
and Oliver Jones. Click
here to view the list.

Born
in Montreal, Canada, Greg Clayton was an early starter in music
playing his first gigs at the age of 12. He continued working on
and off through high school years in various bands, playing dances,
'battles-of-the-bands' and in his words "Every conceivable
type of gig that a teenager can play."

After
turning 18, his musical path led him to the downtown Montreal jazz
scene. Greg says "I was lucky enough to catch the tail end
of what was the great jazz era in Montreal. I frequented the various
clubs such as Rockhead's Paradise, The Jazztek, Hotel de Province,
Congo Room and the Black Bottom meeting and eventually playing with
many of our legendary players here in town." "Guys such
as Nelson Symonds, Charlie Biddle, Guy Nadon, Norman Villeneuve,
Paul Revere, Billy Horne, Ivan Symonds were some of the first jazz
cats that I had ever heard live. A few years later I heard Peter
Leitch with Billy Robinson and guys like Maury Kaye and Richard
Parris and that clinched the deal."

His first jazz influences on record were Charlie Parker and Wes
Montgomery. But just as important for Greg, "the possibilty
of seeing and hearing Nelson Symonds and/or Ivan Symonds on almost
any night of the week for years was an opportunity I took full advantage
of."